About Ss. Peter and Paul · Richmond, Minnesota
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Richmond, Minnesota has anchored the community since 1856, making it one of the oldest parishes in central Minnesota. Today it is part of the Centered on Christ Catholic Community (CCCC), an Area Catholic Community in the Diocese of Saint Cloud that unites four parishes — Saints Peter & Paul (Richmond), Saint Boniface (Cold Spring), Saint James (Jacobs Prairie) and Mary of the Immaculate Conception (Rockville) — and two Catholic schools in collaborative mission. The parish is home to a PreK–6th grade Catholic school, a restored 1888 Joseph Lorenz pipe organ, and a tall steeple that has long served as a visual landmark for the small town of Richmond. Father LeRoy Scheierl serves as pastor of the Centered on Christ ACC, with Father Joseph VanDenheuvel as parochial vicar and Deacons Larry Sell and Dan Dullinger assisting.
- Established
- 1856
- Patron
- Saints Peter and Paul (Apostles)
- Rector
- Father LeRoy Scheierl
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saint Cloud
Why belong here
Saints Peter & Paul is a small-town Catholic parish where 'you belong' is more than a slogan — generations of Richmond-area families have worshipped, gone to school, married, and buried their loved ones here since 1856. Parishioners nurture their faith through weekly Mass (Wednesday morning, Saturday evening, and Sunday morning), a PreK–6 Catholic school staffed by faithful lay teachers in the Benedictine tradition, and vibrant community-wide events like the annual Bell Tower campaign, Richmond River Lake Days Bingo, and ACC-wide activities such as 'Bicycling for Benediction.' As part of the Centered on Christ Catholic Community, members also share resources and ministries with sister parishes in Cold Spring, Jacobs Prairie and Rockville, multiplying the ways to grow as a disciple and serve neighbors.
Mass times at Ss. Peter and Paul
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30 PM (per christcatholic.com)
- Saturday 4:15–5:00 PM (per masstime.us)
About Saints Peter & Paul Parish
Saints Peter & Paul has been the heart of Catholic life in Richmond, Minnesota since 1856, when German Catholic settlers gathered for the first Masses in area homes. The parish is described on the Centered on Christ website as 'an idyllic church with a steeple almost as high as heaven' that 'has been a center of the Richmond community' and 'continues to mold a vibrant parish that nurtures Christian virtues through weekly Mass, education, and unceasing prayer.' As one of four parishes in the Centered on Christ Area Catholic Community (with Saint Boniface in Cold Spring, Saint James in Jacobs Prairie, and Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Rockville), Saints Peter & Paul retains its name, its own investments and cemetery endowments, and its own Sunday identity while sharing clergy, staff, and ministry with its sister parishes.
- Established 1856 in Richmond, Stearns County, Minnesota
- Part of the Diocese of Saint Cloud
- Member parish of the Centered on Christ Catholic Community (CCCC)
- 110 Central Avenue North, Richmond, MN 56368
Parish History
Catholic life in Richmond predates most of central Minnesota's institutions. The first Masses were said in private homes; an early log church was built and used both for worship and as the parish's first school from 1860 until it burned in 1867. A new school was built that same year (still officially District No. 20, but always known as 'Saints Peter & Paul School'). In 1906 the Benedictine Sisters came to teach, beginning an educational ministry that continues in the school's lay-staffed Benedictine tradition. The parish became a fully Catholic school in 1951, and the present school/parish center facility was built in 1959. On July 1, 2017, Saints Peter & Paul, Saint Boniface and Saint James formally joined as the Rich Spring Catholic Community — a precursor to today's Centered on Christ ACC. The parish's most recent stewardship milestone is the Bell Tower Restoration Project.
- 1856 — parish established
- 1860 — log church doubles as school
- 1867 — log church burns; new school built
- 1906 — Benedictine Sisters arrive to teach
- 1951 — school becomes fully Catholic
- 1959 — present school/parish center built
- 1988 — school accredited by MNSAA
- 1991–92 — Kindergarten added
- 2017 — joins Rich Spring Catholic Community
- 2020s — joins Centered on Christ ACC; 'All Things New' consolidation underway
- $250,000 Bell Tower Restoration launched
Centered on Christ Catholic Community
Saints Peter & Paul is a founding member of the Centered on Christ Catholic Community (CCCC), one of the Diocese of Saint Cloud's Area Catholic Communities (ACCs). CCCC unites four parishes — Saints Peter & Paul (Richmond), Saint Boniface (Cold Spring), Saint James (Jacobs Prairie), and Mary of the Immaculate Conception (Rockville) — and two Catholic schools in a shared mission to form 'missionary disciples on fire for Christ.' The community shares clergy and staff (a single pastor, parochial vicar, deacons, and administrative team), and runs joint ministries such as the youth group, music liturgy team, discipleship formation, and ACC-wide events like 'Bicycling for Benediction' and Richmond River Lake Days. Under the Diocese's 'All Things New' pastoral plan, the four parishes are moving toward a single parish corporation with Saint Boniface as the 'Primary' church and the other three as 'Partner' churches that retain their own names, investments, and parish identity.
- Four parishes: Saints Peter & Paul, Saint Boniface, Saint James, Mary of the Immaculate Conception
- Two Catholic schools: Saints Peter & Paul School and Saint Boniface School
- Joint pastor and parochial vicar serve all four parishes
- Shared ministries: youth, music, faith formation, finance
- Rocori Trail connects parishes for community events
Clergy, Staff & Leadership
The parish is served by the clergy and lay staff of the Centered on Christ ACC. Father LeRoy Scheierl is the current pastor of the ACC; Father Joseph VanDenheuvel serves as parochial vicar; Father Cletus Connors, OSB, assists as retired clergy; and Deacons Larry Sell (Director of Sacramental Preparation) and Dan Dullinger assist. Lay staff include Lisa Drontle (Music Liturgy Coordinator for SSPP/SJJP/MIC), Teri Krowka Ansberry (Faith Formation Director), Sherry Braegelmann (Director of Children and Adult Discipleship), Kaly Bloch (Director of Teen Discipleship and Youth Ministry), Janet Stang (Volunteer Coordinator), and Merrilee Stang (Admin Team Lead, Director of Finance). The parish school is led by Principal Heather Pfannenstein and Assistant Principal Kim Baumgarten.
- Father LeRoy Scheierl — Pastor
- Father Joseph VanDenheuvel — Parochial Vicar
- Father Cletus Connors, OSB — Retired Clergy Assistant
- Deacon Larry Sell — Director of Sacramental Preparation
- Deacon Dan Dullinger
- Lisa Drontle — Music Liturgy Coordinator
- Teri Krowka Ansberry — Faith Formation Director
- Sherry Braegelmann — Director of Children and Adult Discipleship
- Kaly Bloch — Director of Teen Discipleship and Youth Ministry
- Janet Stang — Volunteer Coordinator
- Heather Pfannenstein — SSPP School Principal
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic School
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic School has educated the children of Richmond and surrounding parishes since 1860 — a year before the parish school was first organized in the original log church. The school offers a Pre-Kindergarten through sixth-grade Catholic education in the Benedictine tradition, supported by the parish faith community and other parishes in the Richmond area. It is accredited by the Minnesota Nonpublic School Accreditation Association (since 1988) and re-accredits every seven years. The present facility, built in 1959, serves both as school and parish center, and includes dedicated space for preschool (added after the public school district reconfigured its middle school), kindergarten, elementary classrooms, and a computer lab.
- PreK through 6th grade Catholic school
- Began in the original 1860 log church
- Benedictine Sisters have taught here since 1906
- Present school built 1959 (also serves as parish center)
- Accredited by MNSAA since 1988
- Kindergarten added 1991–92
- Preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds added in 2010s
- Heather Pfannenstein, Principal; Kim Baumgarten, Assistant Principal
- School website: www.ssppr.com
Music, Liturgy & the Lorenz Organ
Saints Peter & Paul is home to one of the oldest surviving pipe organs in central Minnesota — a mechanical-action instrument built by German-immigrant organbuilder Joseph Lorenz of St. Paul around 1888. The organ originally had a reversed, detached console; in the late 1930s/early 1940s Vogelpohl & Spaeth of New Ulm installed a new console with electropneumatic pull-downs and the balcony was deepened to accommodate a large parish choir (during which time the original manual reeds and Great Mixture III disappeared). Cold Spring organbuilder K.C. Marrin restored the instrument in 2000, re-trackerizing it, replicating the missing ranks from top-board evidence, and building a new detached, reversed console. All original pipework remains intact, and the organ is described in the Organ Historical Society's Tracker journal as 'robust and colorful and a source of great local pride.' Lisa Drontle coordinates music and liturgy across the ACC parishes.
- Joseph Lorenz organ, St. Paul, ca. 1888 — second-oldest surviving organ in central Minnesota
- Restored 2000 by K.C. Marrin of Cold Spring
- Mechanical action, two manuals, full Great/Swell/Pedal
- Large parish choir in the rear gallery
Faith Formation, Sacraments & Discipleship
Faith formation at Saints Peter & Paul is led by Teri Krowka Ansberry and supported across the Centered on Christ ACC by Sherry Braegelmann (Children and Adult Discipleship) and Kaly Bloch (Teen Discipleship and Youth Ministry). Sacramental preparation is directed by Deacon Larry Sell. The parish prepares children and adults for the sacraments of Baptism, First Reconciliation, First Communion, Confirmation, and Marriage; funerals and Anointing of the Sick are available through the parish office. The parish maintains its own cemetery endowments and oversees Catholic burial in the local Catholic cemetery. A Parish Advisory Committee (PAC) is being established to help oversee local events, fundraisers, and maintenance as the parish transitions to its 'Partner' status in the consolidated CCCC corporation.
- Faith Formation (Teri Krowka Ansberry, Director)
- Sacramental Preparation (Deacon Larry Sell)
- Children & Adult Discipleship (Sherry Braegelmann)
- Teen Discipleship & Youth Ministry (Kaly Bloch)
- Volunteer Coordination (Janet Stang)
- Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing, Funerals
- Cemetery endowments retained by SSPP under 'All Things New' plan
Outreach, Community & Events
Saints Peter & Paul is deeply woven into the civic and social life of Richmond. The parish hosts community events like Richmond River Lake Days Community Bingo (held at Saints Peter & Paul School), supports the school through annual fundraisers, and collaborates with sister parishes on ACC-wide initiatives such as 'Bicycling for Benediction,' which links the four parishes by bike along the Rocori Trail. The Knights of Columbus and Christian Women both play active roles in parish life. The Centered on Christ ACC maintains an active youth group and volunteer program, and welcomes new members through an online New Member Request Form. The most visible current project is the Bell Tower Restoration, with a goal of $250,000 to restore the bells, steeple, cross, and tower clocks.
- Richmond River Lake Days Community Bingo
- 'Bicycling for Benediction' ACC-wide event
- Knights of Columbus and Christian Women
- Youth group and teen ministry
- Volunteer sign-ups via Centered on Christ
- Bell Tower Restoration Project ($250,000 goal)
- New Member Request Form online
Visiting Saints Peter & Paul
Visitors and new parishioners are warmly welcomed at the parish office, 110 Central Avenue North in Richmond. The Centered on Christ ACC office is located at 501 Main Street, Cold Spring, MN 56320, and serves as a second point of contact for all four parishes. Masses are livestreamed and homilies archived on christcatholic.com for those unable to attend in person. The church is handicapped-accessible, and the campus shares parking with the school/parish center. To learn more or to register, the parish invites new members to fill out the New Member Request Form on the Centered on Christ website or to call the parish office directly.
- Parish address: 110 Central Avenue North, Richmond, MN 56368
- Phone: (320) 597-2575
- Email: [email protected]
- ACC office: 501 Main Street, Cold Spring, MN 56320
- Livestream: christcatholic.com
- Handicapped-accessible
- Free New Member Request Form available online
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Stephen Beauclair, OSB
Benedictine priest who served Richmond early in his ministry and returned later; helped make the church handicapped-accessible with a new gathering space, pews, and sanctuary furniture. Marked 55 years of priesthood in 2022. Also served in Puerto Rico, Moorhead, the Bronx, Hastings, St. Paul, the Bahamas, and as chaplain at St. Benedict's Senior Community in St. Cloud.